But the WDSU I-Team has learned that -- depending on where a justice of the peace serves -- the financial rewards can be huge.

When fees paid to the office are considered, a Jefferson Parish man is one of the best compensated elected officials in Louisiana, taking home more money than the governor here -- and in Alabama and Mississippi -- and more than any other judge in the state.

The reason? A system that rewards some justices with the chance for six figures of income... while others take home a mere fraction of that.

This particular justice of the peace says he's says he's not doing anything wrong. And he's not. Every dollar made is above board.

But that's why some people were so surprised by what the I-Team found when it started digging into the wide disparity from one place to another -- district by district.

For the 5th Justice of the Peace district in Jefferson parish, the elected justice is Charles Cusimano II.

The job itself is only part time, but records obtained by the I-Team show Justice Cusimano took in almost $200,000 in 2012, primarily through a portion of office filing fees he is allowed to keep.

Cusimano -- whose court handles mostly small claims cases and rather routine matters -- makes more than every district and appellate court judge in the state -- and it means he brings home more money than the seven justices who make up the state's highest court.

Each of them just got a five percent raise last year, but they all earn less than $158,000 annually -- about $40 thousand below what Justice Cusimano banked."That number is astounding," said Rafael Goyeneche with the Metropolitan Crime Commission watchdog group.And according to the database of all public employees in Jefferson Parish -- that figure makes Cusimano one of the best-compensated employees in the state's 2nd largest parish.So how does a part-time job pay so much money?Credit -- or blame -- the archaic state laws that govern justices of the peace, said Goyeneche."The laws established in 1898 are essentially still in place," he explained.

And while there have been some revisions over the last 116 years, when it comes to the justice of the peace positions, compensation still depends largely on the collection of filing fees from people using their courts.

The more marriage documents that are signed... the more evictions authorized... the more revenue.

Louisiana law allows the justices to keep 50 percent of the filing fees -- for themselves and their staffs.

All justice of the peace courts in Louisiana -- there are 390 -- are self funded. They can spend what they bring in.

"They get to put those fees in their pocket," said Goyeneche.

But records show there's a great disparity in the number of JP's in each parish, the volume of business each does and the money they make.

St. Landry, St. Tammany and Rapides parishes have the most justices at 14, 13 and 12 apiece.

East Carroll parish has just one and quite a few places have three each. Eight justices are elected to office in Jefferson Parish: three on the Eastbank, three on the main Westbank, and one each in Grand Isle and Lafitte.

All are part-time posts, and none of the justices pockets anything close to what Charles Cusimano makes.

The reason: geography and population.

Cusimano's Metairie-based district has more people in it -- and by far the most filings, with roughly 4,500 yearly.

"This is the Park Avenue franchise for justices of the peace," said Goyeneche.

But it isn't Monopoly money -- it's real, and the sky's the limit when it comes to filing fees.

In 2012, records show Cusimano's office took in about a half-million dollars in filing fees. Under state law, half of that goes to the office of the constable -- who serves as the attached law enforcement agent for the court. Each justice of the peace has an elected constable for his or her district.

In the Jefferson Parish Fifth, it's Dan Civello.

Justice of the Peace Court is set up as small claims court, and justices statewide cannot handle any dispute over $5,000. Many justices aren't lawyers, and no law degree -- or college degree of any sort -- is required to hold the office.

Some courtrooms are built right into the home of the officeholder.

We asked the head of the state's Justice of the Peace and Constable Association -- Connie Moore, of Covington -- about the disparities from one district to the next.

In a statement, she told the I-Team: "The association understands because of population and/or location some justices of the peace will receive more filings than others."

In his own, separate statement, Cusimano told us he's playing by the rules: "Justice of the peace funds are self-generated and paid by the litigants themselves pursuant to a legislatively set fee schedule. these funds are not paid from public tax dollars."

But it is a public office, with an elected official making legal decisions. and it's an unusual arrangement.

Judges in civil courts around the state don't keep filing fees -- nor do city court judges in New Orleans. Fees are paid daily through the Office of Motor Vehicles and local assessors, but that money goes to government coffers. Office holders get a set salary.

"I don't think that the legislature who created these offices ever contemplated that a justice of the peace would make more money than a Supreme Court justice for a part-time small claims court," said Goyeneche, who adds that implementing a set salary for the part-time positions or a redistricting of the seats is something that's long overdue.

And now, Louisiana lawmakers are taking notice.

"I don't think anyone is saying the JP's are doing anything wrong, but the system seems to be set up incorrectly," said State Rep. Helena Moreno, of New Orleans.

State Rep. Patrick Connick represents Jefferson Parish in the legislature, and he says he had no idea Cusimano took home so much money."It was never on the radar," said Connick.

But the Westbank-based lawmaker says that will change.

"It's something that has to be looked at. It will be interesting to see who is making what and where," said Connick.

And then there's this: While Cusimano's own records show he makes almost $200,000 as a part time justice, he also collects a hefty state retirement.

Prior to his election as a justice of the peace, Cusimano served eight years as a state representative and was later a district judge in Jefferson Parish.

He retired in 2007 and began collecting a state pension: $7000 a month -- or about $80,000 a year.

It's something he continued to collect even after his return to office in 2009 as a justice of the peace.

In total, Cusimano brought in more than $275,000 from the pension and the income from his part-time job.

"People are concerned about the fairness factor - some JP's make a great amount of money and others do not," said Moreno.

New Orleans based State Senator Ed Murray is chairing a commission that's looking at "right sizing" the courts. He says justices of the peace fall under that study.

As we mentioned -- more than one district seems to be far out of the mainstream when it comes to these fee collections.

We found two other justices bringing in six-figure amounts -- though both were less than the Jefferson Parish 5th.

Again, both are in densely populated communities.

On the Westbank of Jefferson Parish, Justice Vernon Wilty III reports $383,000 collected in fees and while he lists no direct salary for himself - he does report $222,000 in fees, distributed to himself and his small office staff.

In Baton Rouge, Justice Steven Sanders lists $492,000 in fees and notes that he paid himself $187,000 in 2012 -- or about 10-grand less than Cusimano.

By comparison, most JP's in Louisiana make less than $30,000 yearly.Some in smaller places, like Grand Isle, report no salary at all... and just a smattering of collected fees.

Copyright 2014 byWDSU.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.